


I know I've kissed you before

by WordsByMarcy



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Don't copy to another site, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Flowers, For my sweet Lyra, Friends to Enemies, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28956441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsByMarcy/pseuds/WordsByMarcy
Summary: But I didn't do it right.*******************************Catra has kissed Adora a couple of times throughout her life. As childhood friends, as enemies, as something between lovers and friends. She's kissed her plenty, but she wonders if she's ever done it right.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 99





	I know I've kissed you before

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lyra_says](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyra_says/gifts).



> Title from “Pink in the Night” by Mitski
> 
> First time writing for catradora :) and it's dedicated to my lovely and wonderful friend Lyra!!!!
> 
> My Lyrooooo thank you so much for being my friend and always being so wonderfully sweet and kind. You're a classy widdle thing and one of my dreams is to die by your hands as you take a sip from your red wine HAHAHAHAH ANYWAYS I hope you enjoy this little fic I wrote as a gift uwu sorry it's like several days late, my computer got possessed as you know skjdhfksjfhskdj

**I know I've kissed you before**  
By: WordsByMarcy

* * *

  
  


Catra’s fifteen with a chest full of white clovers — white and light-pink petals blossoming to the rhythmic beating of her heart.

And Catra’s fifteen when she learns her love can be more than just holding Adora’s hand, can be more than just side glances and a stuttering heart. 

It’s late June, and the weather is surprisingly nice, not too many clouds in the sky. The sun’s heat barely grazes Catra’s skin as she lays down in the shade of perhaps the last living tree near the Fright Zone. _It’ll probably die soon,_ she presumes, just like most things in the horde. But Catra doesn't think too much about it — it would be stupid to care about a dying tree; its demise inevitable in the shitty dumpster that they’re living in, pollution gradually eating at it. 

But maybe she’ll see more trees after their training is done, after they’re given the chance to wander outside this wasteland. Perhaps the trees will be big enough to cast a wider shadow, one where both of them can fit, Catra and Adora. A tree that will let them both nap in peace — but for now, she guesses this is enough. 

Just as Catra’s about to close her eyes, a feeling that she’s forgetting something slipping through her mind, she hears someone calling out to her, ears perking up at the sound of her name.

“Catra!”

And of course, it’s Adora, the only person who would dare say Catra’s name with such fondness and affection.

“Hey, Catra!”

The only person dumb enough to interrupt her daily naps, or brave enough, however you see it. Catra still thinks it’s dumb. 

Panting fills in the silence that once surrounded her, and a familiar feeling clutches at her chest. The once steady beat of her heart accelerates as she turns her head on the ground to squint at Adora’s approaching figure. Catra’s tail playfully swishes and she smirks.

“Are you awake—”

Adora’s question is interrupted as Catra’s figure swiftly jumps at her. Both her hands grip at Adora’s shoulders and her claws cling to her shirt to not fall, yet still not hard enough to break skin. Adora yelps in surprise at the new added weight and tries to regain her balance but, unsurprisingly, Catra doesn’t let her. There’s a devious grin breaking through her features as she pushes Adora until her back meets the ground with a grunt. 

“Augh, Catra!” Adora exclaims in mild pain, “can we not do this every time I call you out?”

“I don’t know,” Catra’s hands leave Adora’s shoulders, her knees settling on the ground at each side of Adora’s hips. “Stop interrupting my naps,” she leans forwards with one hand on the ground, resting besides Adora’s face, “and we’ll see.” 

“Pfft,” Adora’s eyes widen at the close proximity, cheeks pink like cherry blossoms as she stutters,”I-I can interrupt whatever I want.”

“Hmm, you sure about that—”

“Adora, Catra!” A new voice interrupts them as they hear the faint steps of an approaching figure. A few seconds pass as Catra looks up to meet with Lonnie’s unamused expression, “are you done? Shadow Weaver’s looking for you.” 

“That’s why I was here,” Adora sighs below her and Catra shifts her gaze, “you didn’t finish filling in the paperwork she assigned us.”

 _Oh,_ so that’s what she was forgetting. “So?” Catra quirks an eyebrow at Adora, “I thought you might finish my part,” she shrugs.

“Nope,” Adora replies back while popping the _p_ , “you won’t learn anything if I do that.” 

Lonnie snorts while muttering something inaudible under her breath. Catra side eyes her, a growl building up at the base of her throat and a snarky remark at the tip of her tongue. Her tail flicks irritably, “What—”

“—But I can help you!” Adora quickly interrupts, eyes worried. “We should rock, paper, scissors,” she suggests with a small smile on her face. 

And at that, Catra can’t help but snort, though a bit of fondness manages to escape as a glint in her eyes. Rock, paper, scissors? That was so childish but very Adora, and perhaps very Catra too. Maybe it’s small things like these that make her struggles worth it, and will continue to make it worth it. 

_Yeah,_ though Catra knows she’s unworthy of life itself, maybe the fact that Adora continues to be by her side means something. If she’s a blooming flower born to wither, why is she still hearing Adora’s dumb suggestions, why is her heart still beating if there were no reason for it to beat. 

“Sure, let’s rock, paper, scissors,” so Catra will continue to play along, like maybe there _is_ a reason for her to be here. “If I win, you help me.”

Catra always neglects any work Shadow Weaver throws at her, it’s almost impossible to force Catra to do it, and she has her reasons. But if Adora continues to smile at her like that, all the reasons Catra had might just run out. 

“Perfect,” Adora sighs in relief. “As always, if we throw the same attack, we continue—”

“—Oh no,” Lonnie interrupts, her fingers rubbing at her temples, an irritated look in her eyes.

 _Good,_ Catra smirks, she can stay irritated for all she cares.

“You guys _always_ throw the same attack,” Lonnie groans as her hands fall by her sides, “more than twice.”

Okay, Catra can’t _really_ argue with that, since it's the truth. But that doesn’t mean she’ll tell Lonnie that. _Oh no,_ she’ll _die_ first before agreeing out loud with her. 

“We can _try_ to not throw the same attack?” Adora suggests with a wavering smile on her face, like she knows her reply didn’t really help at all.

The shadows around them change in size and positions, the sun no longer burning bright above them but observing Catra’s impatience grow while resting atop the mountains. 

“Augh, I don’t give a shit,” Catra throws her arms in the air in frustration. Nightfall is near and the sun knows, holding the secrets of other unseen stars. “We’re just wasting more time discussing it, not that I care, but let’s just get this over with.”

“No, no, no,” Lonnie shakes her head, eyes tired. “I’m not watching you be stupid for 20 minutes,” she frowns down at them as Adora mumbles something along the lines of _this isn’t stupid,_ and Catra wishes she could trace her pout with her fingers. “Let Shadow Weaver yell at you, but not me.” 

“Then go,” Catra’s head slightly turns to squint at Lonnie, “I could care less if _you_ stay.”

“But _I’m_ the one responsible for getting you two there,” Lonnie’s heel desperately taps on the ground, a sign of frustration. “Augh, you know what? Just kiss if you throw the same attack,” and Lonnie’s almost grinning at the both of them with her suggestion, “Rogelio and Kyle always do that.”

Yeah, okay, that was information that Catra didn’t need to know. 

“W-what?!” Adora exclaims below her, cheeks heating up again. “A….a k-kiss?” 

Even if Adora looks adorable with that expression on her face, Catra isn't about to fall for Lonnie’s teasing. She knows how to spot the true intentions behind a smirk.

Catra stands up from her position on top of Adora and walks towards Lonnie, a hand resting at her hip while her tail flicks impatiently. “I’m not about to put on a show for you,” Catra retorts back, not one to let herself be toyed with. 

“Whatever,” Lonnie rolls her eyes as Adora sits up, “you either get Adora to help you or not — or you get a kiss.”

“Don’t you mean we let you toy—”

“—I don’t have time for this,” Lonnie’s posture tells her everything, she’s basically done with them. “I’ll go back and tell Shadow Weaver how impossible you both are.”

Adora quickly stands up from the ground at that. “No, wait!” She shouts at Lonnie’s retreating form while wiping her hands down her pants. 

“It’ll be fine,” Catra rolls her eyes, resting a fist on her open palm, “anyways, ready?”

Adora unconsciously copies Catra’s hands position, her muscle memory reacting faster than her brain, “What are we— Oh!” 

Catra clicks her tongue, “Duh.” 

“But Lonnie’s right, we’ll throw the same attack for at least five minutes.”

It won’t be five minutes, they’ve only ever thrown a different attack twice in their whole lives. It mostly started as Catra wanting to prove to Adora that she could anticipate the attacks she would throw. And now, it’s almost ingrained in her mind, to think like Adora in a stupid game like rock, paper, scissors. It’s like learning how to speak, you don’t remember how you did it and now you can’t undo it, you can’t unlearn it. 

“Let them wait for us,” Catra’s smile was supposed to be playful, but it feels soft when the corners of her mouth turn upwards. “They can all wait for us.”

Adora’s eyes widen and Catra’s heart stutters.

_Well shit,_ she isn’t supposed to smile like that.

Then, Adora’s cheeks do that thing where they’re prettier than any pink flower Catra’s seen in picture books. Her smile mirrors hers and in a sort of daze she dares to reply, “W-what if...we do what Lonnie suggested.”

 _Ah, yes,_ this is where Catra’s supposed to wake up from her dream. _Right?_

“Umm….” words, Catra needs to use words, “Y-you....Umm.” This isn’t going how she expected, _shit._ Are her cheeks red? Her cheeks can’t be red. Is she still dreaming?

Adora’s face grows impossibly red as she fumbles with the fabric of her shirt, “N-no...ummm...you didn’t hear that from me.”

“O-okay.”

“Yes,” Adora nods as she tucks a strand of blond hair behind her ear, “let’s just go—”

“—Okay,” Catra repeats as she visibly gulps, “let’s do it.”

“....D-Do what?”

“Don’t act dumb,” Catra takes a step towards Adora and deeply exhales, “same attack, we kiss.”

Adora’s breath hitches as her hands stop fumbling with her shirt. Her face is still tinted in pretty pinks and reds, which must be the reason why Catra couldn’t help herself to fall into Lonnie’s trap. _Damn her_ and her good ideas. Of course kissing Adora was always a good idea, just an unrealistic one... _till now, that is._

Adora’s answer comes in the form of one fist resting on top of an open palm, determined but shy eyes and a small, “Alright.” 

Catra’s heart incessantly throbs against her chest as she mirrors Adora’s position, “Okay.”

The moon starts to reflect the sun’s light by the time both their hearts are tired of beating so loud — it’s almost deafening as it conceals the melodic chirping of the crickets around them.

“Rock, paper, scissors shoot!”

“Rock, paper, scissors shoot!”

Catra shoves her hand in front of her, palm open wide and fingers extended as her hand forms a shape that’s supposed to resemble paper. Her bicolored eyes quickly search for Adora’s hand and isn’t surprised to find it in the same shape as hers. They both breath in sharply as they make eye contact, and Catra’s certain they aren’t in the Fright Zone anymore. 

No, they’re somewhere else that makes her pain be worth it. A place shaped by their hands, a place sustained by the beating of their hearts. 

Catra grabs Adora’s extended palm and pulls her forwards, _towards her._

She must’ve closed her eyes because next thing she knows there’s something soft pressed against her lips. Adora sighs against her and Catra feels both her hands grip at her waist. 

It’s a chaste kiss, warm and hopeful — and Catra ponders if this is what it would feel like to see the stars for the first time. 

  
  


* * *

Catra’s seventeen when she fully realizes she’s only kissed Adora _once._

It just hit her that they’ve already kissed — and that they haven’t done it again since. Not that Catra hasn’t thought about the kiss ever since it happened because, honestly, it’s all she ever thinks about. But daydreaming and finally realizing that it happened are two very different things. Especially when Catra’s dreamt of doing it again, _just_ now noticing that if she wanted, she could do it. _Maybe._

_It could be a possibility._

But it isn’t easy to transfer ideas into actions, not when they involve Adora and the complicated mix of feelings that surround her. Okay, the feelings aren’t really that complicated, but Catra _is._ And it’s not so easy for her to just waltz in and be prepared to risk it all for just a kiss. Though to her, it isn’t _just_ a kiss.

Maybe all this stupid thinking is what makes Catra unconsciously tug at Adora's shirt while they’re standing in line to take one of their final tests. 

“Catra?” Adora turns around to look at her with a neutral expression on her face, which rapidly changes when she mistakes Catra’s nervousness with stress over the test. _“Oh no,”_ Adora quickly grabs her hands which just breaks Catra even more, “you’ll do alright, you’re lazy but you’re incredibly smart!”

Catra snorts. Trust Adora to know how to lift your spirit with stupid yet well-intended words. 

“I’m not nervous,” Catra replies while looking down at their still linked hands. 

“Don’t lie,” Adora gently squeezes her hand, unaware of the effect she has on her. “Just breathe, you’ll do good.”

Yeah, Adora’s worrying about the wrong thing, wouldn’t be the first time. 

“I’m _fine,_ though you’re not making it any better,” all that Catra really wants to do is pull her down and kiss her silly like she shouldn’t do. The heat of Adora’s palms against hers is driving Catra insane, she can almost feel her pulse, and nothing’s more thrilling than being aware of the beating inside Adora’s chest. 

It makes Catra think of ways she could make it beat faster — fast enough till it bruises her chest. 

Catra looks up to assure Adora once more that everything’s fine, _mostly,_ when Adora’s breath hitches and she instantly lets go of Catra’s hand.

“Um,” Catra rubs at her limp hand as she raises an eyebrow in Adora’s direction, “you alright?”

“Y-yeah, you just…” Adora blinks twice as a familiar shade dances through her cheeks, “had an intense look...in your eyes.” 

_Oh._

“Oh,” Catra forces herself to swallow as her tail flicks nervously, “don’t think too much about it.” 

“Y-you must be really nervous,” Adora continues, completely ignoring what Catra just said, “about the test, I mean.”

“Adora—”

“—I wish I could….um...I-I don’t know,” Adora stutters while rubbing at the back of her neck, ”make you...feel better?” 

_Make her feel better?_

Catra’s eyes widen and she can feel the taste of strawberries at the tip of her tongue. The ground feels like cotton as her heart beats furiously against her chest, the sound almost as deafening as before. She unknowingly holds a fist on top of her open palm and Adora’s eyes blink in surprise before a shy smile breaks through her face as she mirrors her hands. 

“Rock, paper—”

Lonnie elbows Catra from behind, making her stumble into Adora, “Just fucking kiss already.” 

And maybe that’s all Catra needed to grab Adora’s collar and yank her forwards to meet in another chaste, but hurried, kiss. 

Adora kisses her back, though her lips slightly tremble, which Catra kind of expected. She could feel her legs shaking and before kissing she could see Adora’s eyes watering with built up emotions. Perhaps she was feeling too much of something, just like Catra was. 

After all, there were signs and Catra wasn’t stupid. Just like in rock, paper, scissors she can unconsciously anticipate Adora’s attacks, she can anticipate how she’ll react, how she's feeling. 

_Yeah,_ maybe Catra can hope that what’s written inside her chest is in the same language as Adora’s. 

_And Catra will hope._

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


But perhaps that’s the reason why she finally breaks when Adora leaves her side. 

When Adora chooses the world over her.

Catra didn’t anticipate this, _she couldn’t._

But what hurts most is Catra letting herself believe that she could anticipate anything from Adora since the start.

How arrogant of her to think she would never be left behind. How stupid of her to think that way, to think she was finally worthy of someone staying. She should’ve known better, since she was left behind from the moment she gave her first breath. 

Adora didn’t betray her, Catra just betrayed herself by believing this would be different. 

Catra really hates the world, and it could burn for all she cares. 

* * *

Catra’s eighteen when she notices that the Fright Zone’s dying tree isn’t dying anymore, because it’s already dead before she realizes. But she _has_ seen a shit ton of trees outside the Fright Zone, the whispering woods a proof that there’s life beyond the wasteland she was born in. 

Yeah, there are plenty of trees, but the one in the Fright Zone is dead. And Catra doesn’t know why it hurts. 

But maybe she does, and she’ll just keep on denying it when she’s continuously forced to see Adora’s brilliant blue eyes on the other side of the battle field.

_Forced._ Catra mentally chuckles as her feet drag her towards the approaching figure of Adora. _Yeah, forced by herself._

Before Catra can get knocked down by Adora’s stupidly big sword she jumps to climb one of the several trees in the whispering woods. “Care to join me on the trees, princess?” Catra can’t even recognize her own voice, mocking and full of something sinister and dark. 

“What? Too scared to fight me on the ground?” Adora snaps back at her, an unrecognizable tone layering her words. And Catra will never get used to this, even after the countless fights they’ve had she’ll never let herself believe that they’re both hurting. She’ll never recognize all the bruises she’s adorned Adora’s skin with. Won’t let herself believe that she’s inflicting pain, because she isn’t. 

Adora _isn’t_ in pain.

Adora doesn’t hurt.

Adora doesn’t cry because of her.

Adora left her and she feels nothing at all. There’s nothing in there, there never was. 

There’s nothing to hurt.

Adora’s cheeks never blushed, Adora’s hands never held hers, Adora never fucking kissed her. She didn’t break any promises because there was nothing to promise since the beginning.

Because there was nothing at all. If there was, then Adora wouldn’t have left. But she did, because there’s nothing, since Catra means nothing. 

“Me? Scared? Please,” Catra forces herself to chuckle as she jumps down and swiftly lands on her feet. “How about you fight me without hiding behind that big ‘ol sword of yours.” 

“How about no,” Adora squints at her while bending her knees, preparing to attack if Catra dares to approach her.

“Scared?” Catra mocks her while she brings her claws out, prepared to mark Adora with scars that won’t hurt. Prepared to draw blood that won’t stain, because apparently, Catra can’t do anything to Adora.

She bets that if she kissed her, Adora’s world would remain the same. 

“Maybe,” Adora replies, surprising Catra for once. 

“What are you scared of,” Catra smirks as she places both hands on her hips, her tail flicking from side to side, “we’ve done this countless times.”

“I don’t know,” Adora starts circling her, hands forcefully gripping her sword and a deep frown never leaving her face — _typical._ “You always have something up your sleeve.” 

That makes Catra snort. “What?” she follows Adora with her gaze, “scared I’ll kiss you this time?”

Adora’s eyes widen as hurt flashes through them. Catra’s heart aches for some reason.

“Shut up,” Adora grumbles, almost inaudibly. Her hands begin to tremble as she spontaneously charges towards Catra, throwing her sword to the ground, “Shut up!” 

Catra lets herself be pushed towards the ground, heart stuttering in surprise to Adora’s reaction. “You know _nothing,”_ Adora spats as she pins Catra’s wrists with one hand above her head, the other one’s in a tight fist which swiftly hits the right side of her face, “so shut up!” 

Catra’s cheek stings with heated pain and she instantly knees Adora’s stomach while forcefully biting at the arm that pins her wrists. She draws blood, making Adora’s hold on her loosen while she grunts in pain. Catra takes the opportunity to throw Adora off of her and pin her to the ground instead. 

“Losing your cool?” She mocks her while her thighs firmly hold Adora’s waist. “Try harder to beat me,” Catra taunts her as she pins Adora’s hands above her head. 

“Done it plenty of times,” Adora bites back while struggling to break free. Catra’s grin turns wicked as her claws leave bleeding cuts on Adora’s cheeks. “Payback,” Catra mumbles with a blooming bruise on her own cheek.

“Aw, we match,” Adora retorts as she throws Catra off of her with pure force. Catra brutally collides with the ground as she lands several feet away from Adora. 

“That fucking hurt,” she mutters under her breath, her head throbbing in pain, somewhat surprised with Adora’s forceful strength. 

Perhaps she always held back... _till now._

Adora’s now the one straddling her hips as Catra tries and fails to focus her eyes, her vision blurry from hitting her head on the ground. In fact, every corner of her body felt blurry, like she was barely there. 

Catra can feel Adora firmly gripping at her shoulders, shouting at her words she cannot hear. Actually, all Catra can hear is a deafening ring inside her ears, painfully throbbing against her eardrum — worsening her headache. She barely feels the wet grass beneath her back, and wonders if it’s day or night. The sky won’t tell her and Adora’s back to screaming at her.

She wishes she would just shut up. 

But Adora’s mouth moves again and Catra’s just about done with her yelling. “Wrong move, princess,” Catra manages to grumble before pulling Adora from her waist — shutting her up with lips against hers. 

And though all their kisses have been short and soft, this one becomes rough and forceful. Catra can feel Adora growling against her lips as one of her hands snakes towards her head to roughly pull her blonde hair. 

Adora hisses and her grip on Catra’s shoulders becomes bruising. She bites down at Catra’s lower lip, almost drawing blood and making her moan. 

Adora’s tongue against her lips is the last thing Catra remembers before she blacks out. 

  
  


* * *

Catra’s twenty when she realizes that nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing inside her head is right, all her feelings are intertwined, making it difficult to understand. 

Her eyelids part to greet the darkness, and she wonders if she’s still asleep or awake. If she’s having the same nightmare she always has. The one where she’s a flower, a lonely white clover without a promise to keep.

A simple flower that mother nature won’t nurture. 

Catra remembers how small she feels in that dream, how insignificant she was compared to the extensive land and the endless sky. Remembers her strong and stubborn roots, her weak and delicate petals. Catra remembers — remembers that she was small and alone, just a single flower in no one’s flower field, in no one’s garden. 

She sits up and looks down at her hands, distorted and blurry thanks to her tearful eyes. Her fingertips navigate through unspoken memories left in her skin; visible in scars and bruises like pictures decorating a scrapbook. 

There’s this desire she feels when she looks down at her trembling hands. When she sees how small and broken they are. A desire that consumes her and fills her with a need to latch onto someone’s lap. Beg for comfort and warmth, have a place where she can crumble and break apart.

“Catra?”

Catra’s hands jerk to the new voice and she swallows down her tears. She looks to her right and is surprised to find Adora’s worried eyes staring back at her.

_Right,_ Adora came back for her.

Adora left, but she came back. Catra drove her away, and then apologized.

 _Shit._ Nothing really made sense anymore. 

“What’s up?” Catra whispers back after regaining her composure. 

“Are you awake?” Adora asks, making her snort.

Trust Adora to ask the important questions. “Now that’s a dumb question,” Catra replies while raising an eyebrow, “isn’t it?” Adora just softly chuckles while agreeing, the gentle sound of her laughter making Catra smile. 

And she’s been doing a lot of that lately. Smiling. The expression being easy to form when surrounded by idiots on this ship. 

She feels Adora gently hold her hand, forcing Catra to look back at her sleepy eyes, “Let’s sleep, we’ll be arriving to Etheria in a couple of hours.”

“Right,” Catra squeezes her hand and slowly falls back into the mattress, letting Adoral curl at her side. She closes her eyes and lets Adora’s slow and steady breaths lull her to sleep.

Nothing makes sense still, but she guesses its fine if things are that way. Catra doesn’t have to continuously force her mind to find the reason behind her mother abandoning her. Find a reason why Shadow Weaver never truly loved her. Find a reason why she grew up alone with only Adora’s tiny hand to hold. Catra’s despair and pain was too big for Adora’s hands to hold, and it wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t Catra’s fault either.

Sometimes, things are the way they are for a reason Catra didn’t need to find — and she wouldn’t find it, and it wouldn’t change anything. Wouldn’t change her past. In the end, some things didn’t make sense, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a meaning now. A meaning in the future. 

Catra won’t abandon herself like everyone else once did. Like she did before helping Glimmer escape. Like Adora will probably do if saving everyone meant sacrificing herself.

And if Adora ever does that, then it means it would be time for Catra to step in. Time for Catra to hold her instead of being held. And maybe she’ll even have the courage to properly kiss Adora — not the way she’s barely kissing her now, a tired and timid brush of her lips against Adora’s before she falls asleep.

* * *

Catra doesn’t know if she’ll ever turn twenty-one, not with her future being so uncertain at this very moment. But she honestly could care less about her future right now, her priority being holding Adora’s limp body with her trembling hands. Telling her that she loves her, because she always has been stupidly and irrevocably in love with Adora. Because nothing makes sense, but her love does, and it’s all the reason she needs for her heart to beat.

Because Catra can love, and if she’s capable of that maybe she’s been seeing herself in all the wrong ways. Because after all these years of being abandoned and feeling unworthy of just about anything, her heart still found a reason to love. And that’s reason enough to be here and let Adora know the same. Hold her limp body with her ear pressed against her chest and ask her to, _“stay.”_

And just as Catra softly mutters those words, The Heart starts flashing and flickering with green and blue lightnings, brightening the room and making Catra’s hold on Adora tense. 

But there’s a heartbeat, a heartbeat that’s growing strong. A heart whose beat Catra knows like a melody. 

Adora weakly sits up in Catra’s arms, eyes so blue that it was all she could see. All she’ll ever want to see. 

_She was finally back._

And loving her was worth it. 

Adora lets out a small breath before softly asking, _“You love me?”_

And Catra chuckles, because what else is she supposed to do when her love was so obvious. Well, Catra can think of something else she can do. She knows she’s kissed Adora before, but she hasn’t done it right. 

_“You’re such an idiot.”_

So she’ll just have to try again. 

_“I love you too.”_

Try again, and again, and again.

Catra gently holds Adora's face with her left hand and leans in to kiss her for perhaps the first time. It isn't that the other kisses didn't count, but it feels new and Adora's lips feel like home. She's warm, so incredibly warm and happy. It feels like the universe travels through their skin, like the stars came back to Etheria just for this. 

This means Catra will soon turn twenty-one. Twenty-one with a chest full of white clovers.

  
White and light-pink petals blossoming to the rhythmic beating of her heart.

**Author's Note:**

> White Clover's mean “happiness”, “promise”, “Think of me”, and “Be mine”.
> 
> Lyraaaa, I really hope you liked your gift ♡ I WISH YOU ALL THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD ♡ You deserve the warmest of hugs ♡
> 
> Anyways, does Etheria have a sun? Like before the stars came back, did the sun exist for them or ??? LMAO I HONESTLY DIDN'T KNOW, so I just wrote a sun because I can ig ksjdhfksdfh
> 
> I hope you guys liked my first contribution to the She-ra fandom and I hope I get to write more. 
> 
> You're welcome to bother me at my [**Tumblr**](https://wordsbymarcy.tumblr.com/) or [**Twitter!**](https://twitter.com/marcymore) Make me your friend.
> 
> Thank you for reading!!! Leave a comment if you can!! Sending all of you love, wash your hands, take care of yourselves :)
> 
> _Marcy._


End file.
